erehwon

Erehwon is common mis-spelling of Erewhon, Samuel Butler's satire on Victorian society. It is the direct reversal of the word 'Nowhere' and is often used to denote an unspecified generic place in much the same way that 'John Doe' is used to name an unspecified person. In the preface to his the first edition of his book, Butler specified

The author wishes it to be understood that Erewhon is pronounced as a word of three syllables, all short — thus, E-re-whon.

This intended pronunciation would have been clearer if Butler had chosen the direct reversal, E-reh-won. Nevertheless, with either spelling the word is still occasionally pronounced with two syllables as 'air - one'. Erewhon is also a location in the central South Island of New Zealand, named for Butler's work. Butler lived in the area, at nearby Mesopotamia Station, a large sheep farm.

Erehwon

See also